Guile
by ArielEvans
Summary: What happens to Loki after his fall from the Bi-Frost? What was the real reason for the events in New York? When Loki comes upon the most unlikely of allies, can he learn to accept himself and a second chance?
1. Prologue

Hello everyone! Thank you for talking a shot at my story. It is in the infancy of its life and a firstborn. (gah, that was corny; in plain words this is my **first** ever story). This story will mainly be set post Avengers. There will probably won't be romantical Frost-Iron in the future, I'm thinking more of a really deep friendship. This first chapter is really short, but I promise longer updates in the future :) I hope you all enjoy!

**Prologue**

"I could have done it father. I could have done it…for you."

"No Loki."

The power of two simple words. All his hopes and dreams of proving himself to be a worthy son of the All-Father, of being accepted amongst his _family_, dashed to pieces like the ruins of the Bi-Frost drifting into the unknown. He felt his grip on the staff slip. It would be so easy to let go…to drift into nothingness. There he would find no pain, no suffering. Only an end to the masquerade of a life that should never have been his to begin with.

"Loki, No!"

Once again, the same two words, yet with a different meaning. Thor, his _brother_. Thor, the almighty God of Thunder, beloved of Asgard. His own personal eclipse. How could it be that after everything he had done, his brother could still look at him with those piercing blue eyes full of concern? With hope, that maybe there was still a chance for his wayward brother. The gale of emotions in his mind receded to a dull ache as he made his decision. He would no longer look upon faces that would inevitably show disappointment and contempt. No longer would he be emotionally rent by this fallacy of a family.

He let go.


	2. Chapter 1

**Hi everyone! Sorry its been so long since I last updated. I've been supper busy with college applications and also trying to figure out where to go with this story. I am defiantly open to any suggestions ya'll might have so feel free to review and let me know what you think? I'm hoping the characters don't come off too OOC. In any case, enjoy! Also, check out a story called **_**Suddenly, Darcy **_**by Magwitch. It will do amazing things for your life! Aaaaannnd a huge thank you to everyone who reviewed/favorite this story ")**

**Chapter One**

For Tony Stark, today was a good day. A great day in fact. After months of construction, his beloved tower at the heart of New York was ready for reopening. Though missing the ostentatious STARK letters on the side, he had kept the lone remaining A as a symbol of its newly re-christened name: The Avengers Tower. It had been nearly eight months since the attack on New York and life seemed to finally take on a semblance of normality. With the absence of an impending threat to Earth, the Avengers team had gone their separate ways. Even so, the tower stood as a beacon to the team, and to the world, that the Avengers would come together when they were needed.

Clint and Natasha took a hiatus from work, Steve found a place at S.H.I.E.L.D training new recruits, and Thor returned to Asgard after spending time with Jane. Only Dr. Banner stayed around, mostly in part of his shared passion for science and research. Bruce and Tony bonded over the development of new technologies that aided in the repair of the ravaged city.

With those distractions it was easy for him to forget the toll the battle had taken on him…physically he was sound, but his mind would often take unwelcome trips back up the alien portal and into space where time seemed to stop and he was left paralyzed in his fear. He prided himself in having a strong mind, but what human was expected to shrug off memories of predator look-alikes cleaving people open on the streets, or seeing behemoth monsters ripping through steel and cement structures as though they were butter. Sure he could hide behind his snark and sarcasm, but that day had changed him irrevocably. Every day was a battle to carefully weave the guise of stability, but he did it and he was becoming better and better.

"Sir, Ms. Potts is here to see you."

The genius tore his eyes away from the holographic schematics of his newest pet project, the restoration of his Shelby Cobra 1967. It still bore the wounds of its encounter with the malfunctioning prototype of his first Iron Man suit. The strawberry blonde woman punched in her access code and stepped through the sliding glass doors with reproachful eyes.

"Why am I even surprised anymore? I had the tiniest hope that I might actually find you dressed and ready to go to New York, but…," she gestured to the chaos of car parts strewn around the lab, "Once again something else takes precedence. Tony, I thought this was important to you."

"It is, you know it is. In fact JARVIS pull up the feed from my room about two hours back."

"Of course sir."

A video replaced the Shelby diagrams.

"There, look Pepper, a suitcase. I even packed it myself."

But all she really saw was the inventor himself pacing aimlessly around the room running his hands through his already disheveled hair. Concern replaced the frustration in Peppers voice.

"Tony, are you okay? Are you sure you want the opening to happen today? I know you've been going through a lot this year."

Tony looked up at her. This woman was one of the few, if only, people who knew when he was putting on a brave face. She could see through the cracks in his facade.

"I need this Pepper. It's like a new beginning for me. The last puzzle piece in the jigsaw that my life has been."

She smiled at him, appreciating his moment of unfettered openness. It was rare indeed to see, but was one of the reasons she stuck around. Even though they were no longer dating, they still had a strong bond to one another. Tony grabbed a mostly clean rag off the counter and wiped his off.

"I'll be ready in ten, max. JARVIS have this mess cleaned up will you."

"Yes sir. Enjoy your trip"

The opening went as well as could be expected. Several thousand people crowded the street around the Avengers tower and watched as the building once more lit up the night sky. Soon after the crowd dispersed and so did the guests of honor. Only Steve and Bruce managed to make it however, but Tony was glad. He loved the team, but he needed time by himself in the brand new building.

Pepper had left shortly after midnight after fussing about him, making sure he would be okay for the remainder of the evening. He trudged over to the newly remodeled bar and pulled out an expensive bottle of scotch. After a quick debate about getting a glass, he decided to pop the cap and took a long draught straight from the bottle. Suddenly the air around him became overwhelmingly stagnant. He slammed the bottle down on the counter and made a bee line for the open balcony doorway. Leaning over the railing he sucked in long gasps of the cool night air. He took a few more short breaths before righting himself and sank to ground, his back turned away from the panoramic view of the city. As several thoughts coursed through his head, one lone memory came unbidden to him.

_Loki walks in, holding the scepter. He is the embodiment of elegance and danger. Tony casually walks down the steps, towards the bar. His heart has now taken up residence in his throat, but he keeps a nonchalant expression on his face. Loki's eyes are trained on his every movement. He then stops and quirks up a corner of his mouth._

"_Please tell me you're going to appeal to my humanity."_

"_Uh...actually, I'm planning to threaten you."_

_The demi-god looks at him with derision written all over his face._

"_You should have left your armor on for that. _

_Yeah, it's seen a bit of mileage. You've got the blue stick of destiny. Would you like a drink?"_

"_Stalling me won't change anything."_

"_No, no, no! Threatening. No drink? You sure? I'm having one."_

"_The Chitauri are coming, nothing will change that. What have I to fear?" _

"_The Avengers."_

_Loki looks at him, confused._

"_It's what we call ourselves, sort of like a team. 'Earth's mightiest heroes' type of thing." _

"_Yes, I've met them."_

"_Yeah, takes us a while to get any traction, I'll give you that one. But, let's do a head count here. Your brother, the demi-God; a super soldier, a living legend who kind of lives up to the legend; a man with breath-taking anger management issues; a couple of master assassins, and you, big fella, you've managed to piss off every single one of them." _

"_That was the plan."_

"_Not a great plan. When they come, and they will, they'll come for you."_

_From underneath the bar table, Tony pulls on two small circlets of metal that will activate his newest Iron Man suit._

"_I have an army."_

"_We have a Hulk." _

"_I thought the beast had wandered off."_

"_You're missing the point. There's no throne, there is no version of this, where you come out on top. Maybe your army comes and maybe it's too much for us, but it's all on you. Because if we can't protect the Earth, you can be damn well sure we'll avenge it._

_He walks around the meager protection of the bar and faces the god. _

_Loki slowly saunters up to him, raising the scepter._

"_How will your friends have time for me, when they're so busy fighting you?"_

_In the close proximity of the gods face, be catches a change in his eyes. Brilliantly blue, they blink as though confused and fix themselves upon the billionaire once more. Except now, they're no longer blue, but frightening shade of green._

"_I'm sorry."_

_It's barely an audible whisper, but Tony can hear the desperation any sadness in those two words. With another blink, Loki's eyes return to their icy blue state. _

Tony shudders as he remembered the rest of the encounter; ending with him flying through the glass window. The same window not five feet from where he sat immobilized. Its clear glassy perfection mocked him. He was extremely lucky that he had thought to put on his honing bracelets, otherwise he would have been a smudge on the pavement nearly six hundred feet below him.

One of the things that haunted him through the past months were those two words. _I'm sorry._ What reason would Loki have had to say such a thing? And what was with his eyes? He had run the scene over and over in his head trying to come up with a conclusion, to no avail. It was been true remorse he had seen in the god's eyes; for he himself had seen the same expression in his own before. But it didn't add up. Resigning himself to another sleepless night, he pushed himself off the ground and began to walk back toward the warmth of his penthouse when something caught his attention. In the far corner of his balcony, a circular projection of light appeared. He had fully turned around to get a better look when suddenly a beacon of green light connected the heavens to the cement floor. Tony shielded his eyes as the light grew unbearably bright. A second later, it was dark again.

Where the light had been moments before, lay an immobile man. His long limbs lay twisted at odd angles and blood seemed to coat every piece of clothing that was still intact. The genius took a few precarious steps towards the body, then bent down to examine the face. Long strands of stick black hair lay across the man's face and Tony gently brushed them aside. He gasped at the face he saw.

"Loki…"


	3. Chapter 2

**Hey guys! I hope you're doing well! Sorry its been a while since I last updated. My computer's cooling system broke and I finally got a replacement for it. In the next few weeks I'll probably be reposting an edit of the first chapter. If anyone is interested in being a beta for my story, then please shoot me a PM :) Thank you for all the new reviewers and favorites! I'll be posting responses to reviews at the bottom. It really means a lot when y'all take the time to review and/or favorite :) And as always drop a review if there's any suggestions you may have!**

_Where the light had been moments before, lay an immobile man. His long limbs lay twisted at odd angles and blood seemed to coat every piece of clothing that was still intact. The genius took a few precarious steps towards the body, then bent down to examine the face. Long strands of sticky black hair lay across the man's face and Tony gently brushed them aside. He gasped at the face he saw._

"_Loki…"_

"Holy shit…"

Tony snatched his hand back as the god drew in a shuddering breath. He was floored by the sudden revelation, however he was able to discern one terribly plain thing – Loki had been tortured, brutally. Sure, he had expected the god to receive some sort of penance for his actions when he returned to Asgard. But what he had in mind as far as fair retribution and what lay before his eyes now were two vastly different things. There didn't seem to be a part of Loki's face that was not covered in bruises and lesions, yet there was no mistaking it, that same face that had plagued his dreams for the past eight months. Underneath the beaten surface he could distinguish the sharp angled nose and aristocratic cheekbones, the lips that had whispered those two inexplicable words now slack and devoid of life. Tony's eyes traveled down the rest of the broken body. A ragged gash rent a path along the god's torso and disappeared into his back. It was clear that several of Loki's limbs were broken, and covering his forearms were crude markings carved straight into the flesh.

The billionaire shut his eyes on the nightmarish scene before him. What should he do? What _could_ he do? He couldn't seem to dredge up the anger and hostility he should feel toward the god; he could find no pleasure in seeing the man in such a state. His eyes snapped open as he heard mumbled words slipping from the god's mouth.

"No...no more...please...I'm sorry..."

Tony's heart learched as he heard those familiar words spoken aloud. He leaned closer toward Loki and placed a tentative hand on his shoulder.

"Loki...can you hear me? It's okay, it's me, Tony Stark." For good measure he threw in, "You tossed my ass out a window when you were unsuccessfully trying to take over New York."

Once again he tried to cover up his anxiety with humour, but he was failing dreadfully. He gently shook the god's shoulder and spoke his name again. This time Loki's whole body went rigid as his eyes opened with disconcerting clarity. He took the genius' arm in an iron grip and whispered,

"Save me..."

Immediately his body went slack, and it seemed that the god had finally succumb to unconsciousness with a frightening finality. Tony disentangled himself from Loki's grip and stood up, still eyeing the unconscious god. He quickly came to one conclusion - there was no way he could turn his back on the god. While he was conflicted, he was sure that there was more to the story than a spoiled prince with a tyrannical killing streak. With that last thought, he gently shoved his arms underneath the god and strained to pull him to his feet. He half dragged half carried Loki into the warmth of the penthouse and called out to his A.I.

"JARVIS!"

"Sir?" the A.I replied.

"I need you to prep the medical bay...the works." Tony continued the laborious walk down the hallway and into the sterile glass encased room.

"There appears to be a hostile presence inside the premise, one Loki Odinson. Shall I inform S.H.I.E.L.D?"

The genius nearly dropped the unconscious god as he quickly shouted,

"NO! No, uhh don't worry about it buddy. He's not a hostile. Change his clearance level to guest."

He breathed a sigh of relief as the A.I. replied in acquiescence. A medical gurney sat empty in the middle of the room. Tony drug Loki over to it and layed him down on it as gently as he could manage. The billionaire wiped the beads of sweat that had accumulated on his forehead as he forced himself to once again inspect the ravaged god.

The first order of business was to remove the ruined clothes, which Tony did with great delicacy. Peeling back the tattered remains of the gods tunic, he revealed several more bruises that decorated the torso. He reached for the medical supplies on the table next to the gurney and began to clean up the blood as best he could.

"Hey Jarvis, what do you think? Will stitches and ibuprofen work on a god?"

"My initial scans show that Mr. Odinson appears to be healing himself. At this rate, his wounds should be fully healed within the next few hours."

Tony looked closer at the mostly clean god and saw that the wounds did in fact look a little better. He walked over to the sink and turned the hot water on, letting it run over his hands and wash the remnants of blood away. Grabbing a towel he returned to Loki's side and once more surveyed the unconscious man.

"Keep an eye on him and alert me if there are any significant changes,... I need a drink."

"Of course, sir." the A.I. replied.

The genius made his way back to the living room bar and picked up the abandoned bottle of alcohol.

**Next up...Loki/Tony confrentation...DUN DUN DUN!**

**magwitch: You're so welcome! I'm excited to read the next chapter :)And I agree, more Tony/Loki interaction would have been great!**

**pallyndrome: Thanks! I hope you liked the new chapter!**

**thegirlthathidesinhermind: Indeed...there will definately be more of those in the future :)**

**cara-tanaka: Thank you for the awesome review and input! I hope you like what I did with that scene. **


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey Guys! I hope everyone is doing well! Thank you to all the new subscribers! It's so exciting that people are still picking up my story! Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chapter. And as always, I would love it if you took the time to review/favorite :)**

"Sir."

"Mr. Stark."

The A.I.'s voice jolted Tony from his sleep, seconded by the sound of breaking glass.

"Sir, you advised me to notify you if there were any significant changes to Mr. Odinson's condition. It appears he is slowly returning to consciousness. I approximate that he will be fully aware within ten minutes. Please ensure to take adequate precautions should you inevitably approach him at that time."

The genius had passed out cold on the living room couch after finishing the half empty bottle of alcohol to which he had subsequently knocked off the coffee table. Rubbing some circulation into his face, he tried to reassemble his thoughts. The dusky beginnings of a sunrise glinted off the glass shards littering the floor. He got up and carefully trod to the kitchen in search of fuel. Coffee seemed to be the most attractive option at this time of the morning. The billionaire flicked the chrome plated switch on the machine, and seconds later a thick steady stream of steaming brown liquid filled the awaiting mug. Removing it, he took a tentative sip, careful not to let the beverage burn his mouth. After a few mouthfuls, Tony felt the caffeine begin to seep into his body and ease the grogginess away from his bones. He began to slowly pace across the cold marble floor. What should he expect when Loki realized where he was? Would he be grateful, or would there be a repeat episode of a trip through the looking glass?

With less than half the time left on Loki's countdown, the billionaire dropped the empty mug into the sink and made his way to his bedroom. Walking past the inviting King sized bed, he went straight to the bathroom to wash up. The person that greeted him in the mirror was slightly haggard, but no more worse for wear than usual. He turned on the faucet and splashed the cool water onto his face and worked the remaining vestiges of sleep from his eyes.

"Alright Tony, game face. Reindeer Games _will not_ be defenestrating you today. No siree..."

"Very good sir, I expect with that attitude you shall certainly decrease the volatility of the situation. You should know that Mr. Odinson appears to be causing quite a ruckus in the medical bay."

Okay, so confrontation _with_ the Iron Man suit seemed the safest option now. He had hoped to catch the god as he was waking up and sort of ease him into the situation. A non-hostile approach to the god would surely be the best option, but it would be marginally safer with his suit on.

After suiting up, the billionaire made his way back to the medical bay. Apparently J.A.R.V.I.S. had grievously misunderstood the term "ruckus" or its meaning was now tantamount to "nuclear meltdown". Not many things scared Tony, but the scene that was playing out before him sent little threads of terror up his spine. The thick glass muted some of the words, but Tony could understand all too well.

"YOU'LL NOT HAVE ME AGAIN! I WILL NO LONGER BE A PAWN IN YOUR TREACHEROUS GAME!"

The pristine medical equipment lay charred and smoking. There wasn't much that was not thrown about the room and broken. But most disconcerting was the god that sat huddled in the corner, crackling energy radiating from his form. Though his arms were wrapped protectively around his shaking body, his face was contorted into a mask of pure rage. Tony sucked in a deep breath, punched in the access code to the room, and stepped inside.

"Hey there buddy...why don't you relax a bit. No one here is going to hurt you. Do you know who I am?"

He barely had time to react before a bolt of energy slammed into the glass directly where his head had been a fraction of a second before. The god was on his feet, eyes trained on the man of iron. Though lacking his armor, the god was still a formidable sight. The genius tried a different tact. He let his mask slide up to reveal his face and he took several tentative steps toward the god.

"Hey! You're safe now! Look at my face, don't you recognize me?"

A look of confusion replaced the anger as Loki studied the man's face.

"Anthony Stark."

It was more of a question than a statement.

"Where am I and why am I here?"

"Well you teleported, I think, onto my roof last night and you were pretty badly injured. I mean now...you seem better."

The look of confusion didn't leave Loki's face. Instead he stared at the mortal in pained disbelief.

"No...this must be some new founded way to torture me. I cannot possibly be here. You are nothing more than a mirage."

He walked back to his corner and folded himself back into a ball, rocking back and forth. After a moment, Tony found the courage to walk right up to the god and kneeled down beside him. He gently lay a hand on the quivering back. In Loki, he recognized himself. He was intimately familiar with the panic that was written all over the pale face.

"This is real. No one is torturing you. No one wants to harm you. You're safe here."


End file.
